The six steps
- Find the moments. Listen back and mark stories with a payoff, strong opinions, surprising numbers and funny exchanges. This is the step that decides whether a clip works, and it means going through the whole episode.
- Cut each one to 30 to 60 seconds. Start on the line that grabs attention, end on the payoff, and remove dead air.
- Reframe to vertical 9:16. Keep the person talking in frame. On a two-person show that means following whoever is speaking.
- Add captions and a hook. Many people scroll with the sound off, so captions carry the clip. A short hook title tells a scroller why to stay.
- Brand it. Your colors, fonts and logo, so every clip is recognisably your show.
- Post on Shorts, Reels and TikTok. The same clip works on all three, with a title and description for each.
Three ways to get it done
Do it yourself, or with an AI tool
Free editors and AI clip tools can cut a clip. You still pick the moments, fix the captions, reframe, title and export every clip. Doing that every week is a part-time job, and it is usually the first thing to slip.
Hire a freelance editor
Typically $50 to $150 per clip. You find the editor, write the brief, explain your style, review every cut and replace them when they disappear. Managing freelancers is its own job.
A done-for-you service
You share your footage and channel style once. We pick the moments and deliver finished clips for all three platforms. You review them in about an hour a week.
What a good podcast Short looks like
It makes sense to someone who never heard the episode. No "as I said earlier", no unexplained names. The clip carries its own setup and payoff.
Something changes on screen every few seconds. A cut, a reframe, a caption beat. A static frame for thirty seconds loses people.
The first two seconds earn the rest. Open on the claim or the question, not on "so, yeah".
You can see examples cut in this style on our work section.
If you would rather not do it yourself
PromptPlay turns every episode into finished Shorts, Reels and TikToks. One clip from your latest episode is free, so you can judge the result before deciding anything.
Starter
- 20 finished clips a month
- Sized for Shorts, Reels and TikTok
- Captions and your branding
- 72 hour turnaround
- Titles and descriptions
Growth (most popular)
- 50 finished clips a month
- Audio-only episodes covered
- Back catalogue clipped too
- 72 hour turnaround
- Titles and descriptions
Scale
- 90 finished clips a month
- Multiple shows on one plan
- Custom motion graphics
- 48 hour priority turnaround
- Titles and descriptions
Month to month, no contract. Your first clip is free. Every clip stays yours, even if you stop.